Bollywood veteran Amitabh Bachchan had a narrow escape when his co-star Dharmendra accidentally fired a gun during the shooting of the climax scene in Sholay, filmmaker Ramesh Sippy revealed in a recent interview.

The bullet whizzed past Bachchan, Sippy recalled.

“It happened while filming the climax. That was the one in which he picked up the bullets, stuffed them in… and in this shot, he was not supposed to fire… He was just expected to load the gun. But what he did was put the gun up and fired, Amitabh Bachchan was standing up there as it was his position–at the edge of the cliff, and the bullet whizzed past him,” Sippy told news portal News 18.

Sippy added that the action cameraman Jim Allen refused to continue shooting after the incident. Filming was resumed only after Dharmendra apologised to Bachchan and Allen.

“Jim Allen, the action cameraman, said, 'I will not shoot. He said if actors behave like this... it can't happen on my set. I don't want any accident to take place.' That day, the shooting was cancelled, and we obviously looked after him—cooled him off. We made Dharmendra also understand that it's okay to get into the mood, but you cannot shoot when there's a possibility of accidents. He understood. He apologised to Jim and Amit ji. They worked it out. Obviously, it was not intentional, it just happened,” continued the director.

Earlier this year, a restored version of Sholay was screened at the International Film Festival of Sydney with an alternate climax to mark the actioner’s 50th anniversary.

A restored, uncut version was also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival on 6 September as part of the film’s 50th anniversary celebrations.

Often hailed as the greatest Bollywood film of all time, Sholay blends action, drama and comedy. The story revolves around two criminals, Veeru (Dharmendra) and Jai (Amitabh Bachchan), who are hired by a retired police officer, Thakur Baldev Singh (Sanjeev Kumar), to capture a ruthless bandit, Gabbar Singh (Amjad Khan).

Sholay’s gripping plot, memorable dialogues, and powerful performances made it a massive hit. Its soundtrack, composed by R.D. Burman, added to its enduring legacy.

Also starring Hema Malini and Jaya Bachchan, the film emerged as the biggest box office hit in Indian cinema history and held the record for being the highest-grossing Indian film for over a decade.

Sholay was originally released on 15 August, 1975.